Art Nouveau
by shenshen1977
Summary: A Hydra cell is setting up shop in a quaint German university town. Clint and Natasha get sent in to take care of the problem and just might discover more than Art Nouveau architecture in the process…
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

Inspired by dictator_duck's challenge over on be_compromised to write fics set in our hometowns. This is my first Clintasha fic and the first fic over 600 words that gets posted anywhere, so yay :D It also features a plot bunny I had running around my head since September, I think... There might be a second part in the works, because after UST comes RST and apparently I write smut now… Feedback is highly appreciated!

An extra special thanks to alphaflyer, who took the time to read this over not once but twice, all while preparing a New Year's Eve feast for 20 people. You rock, my friend!

**Art Nouveau**

It was December 2007; Nat and I had been partnered for a few months when this mission in Germany had come up. A HYDRA cell was setting up shop in the brick vault underneath the 'Hochzeitsturm' (Wedding tower) in Darmstadt. The city was well known as a center for the arts and especially Art Nouveau, as well as for its leading role in technical advances. It not only featured a world-class technical university, but also one of the leading heavy ions research facilities. And it was the latter that HYDRA had its sights upon and it was our mission as part of Strike Team Delta to destroy the cell while it was still in the early stages of its development.

I had been to Darmstadt before, when I was still with the Army. The city played host to the Cambrai Fritsch Barracks and I had been stationed there shortly before being shipped off to Iraq. I had liked the city back then, it was lively and because of the students there was an abundance of nightlife. I clearly remembered this one Irish Pub, the guys and I had often been the last ones to leave, ending the evening with the wait staff at a table, them tossing back shots. I never drank, too many bad memories, but the pub gave out free soft drinks for the designated drivers, so I didn't mind taking on that role. And the German girls were a sight for sore eyes as well, no doubt. But that had been years ago, in another lifetime.

Now I only had eyes for one woman, my partner. From the moment I first had laid eyes on her, I knew there was something between us. I saw a lot of my past reflected in hers, but she was hard to read. I knew she was feeling things deeply, I could read her just fine in that regard. Most of the others at SHIELD believed her incapable of emotions; they couldn't have been more wrong. Her life before SHIELD had pretty much sucked, same as mine. This partnership was shaping up to be the most stable relationship I had ever had with another person, apart from Coulson. My feelings for her had grown the more time we spent together, but I couldn't really put them into words; I'm not what you'd call eloquent. I think I was falling in love with her, but was she feeling the same?

All these thoughts were running through my head while I was lying in my sniper's perch atop the 'Ernst-Ludwig-Haus', the Art Nouveau museum, one of the main sights in Darmstadt. I appreciated the architecture; it was something quite unique, as was the whole park around the 'Wedding tower'. It would have been a sniper's dream, had I got to set up my perch atop the tower. It was shaped like a stylized hand, with windows standing in for fingernails. From the topmost one you had an unobscured view over the whole city as the park was on top of a small hill and mainly consisted of gravel walkways, winding around lawns and a wide water basin in front of a Russian chapel. Nat had scoffed when she read that it had been built by the last Grand-Duke for his brother in law, Tsar Nicholas II. But its quirky Russian style was a nice counterpoint to the stylish, sparsely ornamental Art Nouveau buildings surrounding and making up the rest of the park. Ok, so I'm into architecture, sue me!

Anyway, Nat and her team were getting ready to take out the HYDRA compound, waiting in position on the front and rear entrances. I had my sights on the rear exit; another sniper was perched on the roof of the Polish house, at the other end of the park with clear sight of the front entrance. Coulson gave the go ahead and the ground teams breached the entrances. I hate being relegated to following the comms to know what happens inside, especially when Nat's one of the agents involved. Soon, gunshots could be heard through the comms, yet the thick brick the vault was made of didn't allow any sound to travel on the night air outside. The only thing heard in the park were the usual nighttime sounds of any industrial city, cars, barking dogs, as well as the occasional airplane from nearby Frankfurt airport and the critters living in the area.

Agents were constantly giving status updates via the comms, reporting shots fired, enemies engaged and neutralized. Keeping the backdoor fixed in my sights, I tuned out all sounds, concentrating on Nat's voice, trying to keep tabs on her. I wasn't worried, I knew her to be the most capable agent within the team, her close quarter combat skills unmatched by anyone on our side. But still, I wanted, no, I needed to know that she was alright. My gut churned, yet my aim did not waver, my hands remaining still.

And then it was over almost before it had really begun, the HYDRA agents posing no match for our guys. "Situation under control, all enemy forces detained", I heard through the comms and allowed myself to breathe deeply again. What the Hell, had I been holding my breath?! "Coming out now through the front" was the next info conveyed by the team leader, before the back doors were opened from the inside. The HYDRA agents were lead outside in shackles, well, zip ties, but that was mainly the same thing, right? Oh great, now I was babbling, even if it was only in my own head, but still.

I caught sight of her when she stepped across the threshold from the underground vault and she raised her eyes to my position, seeming to catch my eyes even though I was hidden in the shadows. She kept her gaze locked on my position, slowly turning a full circle, allowing me to inconspicuously assess her for injuries. She did know me too well already at that point of our partnership, knew that I would be restless until I'd made sure she was ok. Coulson came through the comm, "Hawkeye, Stinger, stand down; extraction in 5." "Roger that", I replied as I gathered my gear and made to get down from my perch.

All of a sudden I caught movement from the back entrance; apparently not all HYDRA goons had been detained. The guy was brandishing a machine gun and trying to sneak up on the group. I had my bow unfolded and an arrow nocked before he even made it around the building's corner. I let it fly and it hit him right in the center mass; he toppled without getting off even one shot. All faces turned to the fallen form, and the team leader began shouting for someone to check the back entrance and to make sure this time, that really all enemy personnel was detained. I could hear Coulson quietly inquiring about the status; he was much scarier when quiet than most other people would be yelling. And sure enough, when I had made it to the group, after it had been ascertained that really all enemy forces were subdued, the team leader was sporting a look of quiet terror on his face. It was no fun being on Coulson's bad side, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"We have some injured, but nothing major. We'll stay in town at the Army base for the night, have them looked at", the team leader informed when I got there. Catching Natasha's eyes, I knew we wouldn't be staying at the base, she was still riding an Adrenaline high and I was too keyed up to sleep as well. Sneaking off the base would be fun, though, then I would show her the town. And maybe do something about those feelings that were wreaking havoc on my concentration.

* * *

Sneaking off base was almost laughably easy, but then we were considered master assassins and spies; it was part of our skillset. It was a Thursday night, shortly after eleven and we were in civilian clothing, making our way to the city center. I wanted to see if that pub still existed, show Nat a part of my past. We didn't talk much, but then we never really did, not back then. And I was nervous, that didn't really help with the eloquence either. I knew I had to do something about all the UST between us and I hoped that the pub would offer me a way to do so.

Well, you see, when I was here for the first time, they always had karaoke there on Thursdays. And for some odd reason, singing calmed me right down, and maybe by choosing the right song, I could let Nat know how I felt without having to say it outright… Oh and making that declaration in public might also spare me from being killed on the spot, at least that was my hope, I had no idea how she would react. So as we wound through the mostly empty city streets past ugly, utilitarian postwar architecture - most of the city had been destroyed by Allied bombs - my thoughts were going in circles, revolving around the woman walking beside me. She seemed relaxed, content with how the op had gone. We crossed the cobblestoned market place, the former Grand-Duke's castle to our left. It now housed the police headquarters, quite fitting, I thought. We were getting close, the pub was actually not that far from the park where we had taken out the HYDRA cell earlier.

I finally laid eyes on the sign, 'An Sibin', there it was, and apparently still open. A sandwich sign outside proclaimed 'Table Quiz – Tuesdays, Open Mike – Wednesdays, Karaoke - Thursdays'. I had to stifle a laugh. Nat eyed the entrance skeptically; the pub was located in the basement of the building, a steep set of stairs leading down. Music was wafting up to us and there were quite a few people lounging outside, catching some air. The staircase-walls were painted black, with Celtic crosses standing out in creams and white, band posters adorning every free spot. It smelled strongly of cigarettes, as smoking wasn't banned in public places yet. Once we had braved the stairs and the small corridor, we emerged into the main pub, getting a very good view of the stage. Some kid was caterwauling to a song I recognized only by reading the lyrics, which were displayed on the giant canvas at the back of the stage, so the audience could sing along. Ah well, not everyone's an artist, right? And karaoke is all about fun, not being signed by a record company after all.

Scanning the floor, we managed to make out a tiny unoccupied table in the corner and purposefully made our way to it and sat. Pretty soon, a waiter came over and slapped down some menus and the karaoke song list along with some paper and a pen. We ordered our drinks and Nat excused herself to the ladies room. I immediately went to the letter R in the artists' section of the list. Yes, there it was! I made my selection and handed the paper to our waiter when he brought our drinks. I paid for them and he delivered my selection to the DJ and now it was down to waiting for my turn.

When Nat got back from the ladies room, she asked why I liked this place so much. The bathrooms were tiny, the whole place was kinda shabby and, being underground, it was a bit claustrophobic. But I remembered the bar staff, most of them foreigners, some really Irish, like Eoin, who manned the bar back then. And there were so many Americans there, when you were a kid without a home and about to be sent off to war, it really gave you a sense of home. I tried to convey all this to her and she started to nod as I explained about the place. One of her rare smiles spread slowly across her face the more I got to talking. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Clint", she said, while some blonde girl was doing a really good rendition of "You're so vain" on stage. We both relaxed into our seats, enjoying the atmosphere, commenting on the performances.

Then the DJ announced that next up would be Francis with REO Speedwagon. I rose and Natasha's eyebrow shot up. "Couldn't resist", I said with a nervous smile, turning and walking over to collect the mike from the DJ. The monitor in front of me displayed the song title and the first notes came on. My gaze was settled firmly on Nat and I started to sing.

_I can't fight this feeling any longer. And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow. _

I could see all color draining from her face, her eyes getting bigger and she swallowed hard. Nat was sitting ramrod straight in her chair, her breathing had picked up, yet she didn't look like she would bolt any second. I was grateful for that much, it gave me hope.

_You give my life direction, You make everything so clear._

And it was true too, ever since I'd met her, my life had taken on new meaning. I had brought her in, I felt responsible for her, yet I knew I had the most capable partner in the world; she did neither need nor want coddling. She could and would kick anyone's ass who threatened her or me, that I was sure of. I knew I had found my guiding light in her, someone to come home to, and someone who would not betray me.

_And I can't fight this feeling anymore. I've forgotten what I started fighting for._

What was the point of fighting it, really? We were better together than apart. My life so far had taught me that happiness was fleeting and life itself was fragile. I didn't want to waste any more time.

_And it always seems that I'm following you, girl, Cause you take me to the places,_ _That alone I'd never find._

And wasn't that the truth. I had followed her even before I had ever laid eyes on her, when I was still following the Black Widow. And now she had taken me to the place I alone really never would have found, happiness. With every chorus, I could see Nat relaxing more. Her breathing calmed and her shoulders fell slightly. When the final note faded the audience applauded, I returned the mike to the DJ and left the stage, all the time keeping Nat's gaze with mine. I walked over to our table, nervous, but not as much as I used to be. As before, we did not really need words to communicate, I had read her body language and knew that she understood and that she shared my feelings.

"So", I said while sitting down, giving her a lopsided grin.

"So", she replied with a grin of her own, "REO Speedwagon, really?"

"Yeah well, he sings it from the heart."

"No, he sings it from the hair."

"Damn, I knew it was a mistake to introduce you to 'Supernatural'."

She smiled mischievously. "So, that was on your mind this whole time?"

I nodded.

"And you were too chicken shit to just open your mouth and tell me about it?"

"Yep, pretty much."

"Wanna get out of this joint?"

"I thought you'd never ask", I said, holding my hand out to her. She took it and smiled at me, one of those rare, genuine, megawatt smiles that could light the room.

No sooner were we outside in the cool night, than I had her in my arms and she put her hand on the back of my neck, pulling me to her. Our lips met, and it was everything I had known it would be all along. She tasted like life, and when she opened her mouth to allow my searching tongue access, I knew I never wanted anyone else ever again. I can't really recall how we got back to the base; I just know it took a lot longer than the way to the pub had taken. There were frequent stops to shove our tongues down each other's throat and get as much physical contact as possible, that much I'm certain about. But specifics? Not a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

**After UST comes RST, so I hope you enjoy.**

**Again an extra special thank you to the wonderful alphaflyer who provided invaluable feedback and beta-help and said, "Post it already" :D This story is so much better because of her. This story is so much better because of her. All remaining mistakes are all my own.**

**Read at your own risk :) Feedback is very, very appreciated.**

While the way back to the base will always be a bit of a blur, the rest of the night was utterly unforgettable. We snuck back on the base the same way we had left, unnoticed by anyone. I almost felt bad for the Army, but it was a fleeting thought and after all, we were trained spies. Standing in the shadow of the barracks our team had been assigned to, I found myself with an armful of Natasha.

"What now?" she asked.

I didn't want to spend the rest of the night alone. I wanted to stay wrapped around her, feel her close to me. But we had only been assigned communal quarters for the night and I shared a room with Coulson, who'd met our team at the base. He'd coordinated the OP from afar, but now he was definitely too close. So, that wasn't gonna work, fucking budget restraints...

"What do you want?"

"I want to be with you, whatever that means."

"So, we are really gonna do this? You know this is not a onetime thing, right? 'Cause I don't want that with you, I want..."

Putting a finger on my lips to silence me, she grinned wickedly. "Shut up Barton, don't be a girl. I'm in this the same as you are. All or nothing. So I'd say get a move on, I don't have all night." With that, she took away her hand and kissed me fiercely around the stunned grin etched on my face. I couldn't help thinking _Man, what have I gotten myself into?_ I couldn't wait to find out.

She took me by the hand and led the way, explaining, "I have a room of my own, in the women's quarters. We just have to sneak you in there. But that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ok, that definitely beat my idea of camping out on the roof… Come on, you didn't see that coming? The Hawk and the roof, yep, as cliché as that sounds, it came to mind. But well, roof in December, not a very good idea, there would be shrinkage, no doubt. And after our little talk, I was sure we would find another opportunity to utilize some unsuspecting roof one time or another.

Sneaking through the empty corridors to Natasha's room, I felt like we were teenagers in some bad Hollywood romcom, tip-toeing past their parents to spend some alone-time. Neither of us had ever been a teenager like that, of course, and I suddenly felt sorry for our younger selves. I squeezed Nat's hand and she turned around, her head pitched slightly to the side, quizzical. I smiled at her, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"It's nothing", I whispered and "Keep moving," was added with a waggled eyebrow.

Nat, rolling her eyes in response, made me grin and stuff those weird thoughts from a moment ago into the dark vault they belonged in. So what, our lives as teenagers had been crap, we'd just make the most of what was now, screw everything else!

It turned out that the women's quarters were in the corridor parallel to the one housing the men. Ducking from doorway to doorway, we made our way to her room, almost running into a soldier making her way to the bathroom. We quickly snuck into the next-best door, a supply closet as it turned out, and waited for her to pass, giggling like children, pressed close together. Taking care that the danger had passed, we hurried on, Natasha tugging me along and through the door to her room. Hardly sparing the time to check that the door was closed, we were in each others arms, kissing, hands everywhere, shedding boots and clothes left and right, caressing every newly bared inch of skin.

She left a trail of kisses down my throat, sucking on the skin above my clavicle. My hands were gliding from her hair over her shoulders to cup her breasts, playing with her nipples and eliciting a soft moan of pleasure from her. She sucked my earlobe into her mouth, nibbling on it, pleasure coiling in my abdomen. And then her mouth was on that one spot behind my ear that always drives me wild and I sucked in a frantic breath. Her fingers found their way to my stomach, tracing the contours of my ribs before finding the trail of hair leading from my navel to my dick, which was getting more than a little excited by all this. But before addressing him, I wanted to lavish all my attention on her and her body.

We stumbled the rest of the way to her bed and I was guiding her down, stroking and kissing every part of her torso I could get my mouth and hands on. I kissed her breasts, sucking the nipples into my mouth, gently nipping with my teeth. A high, keening sound left her mouth and she was undulating beneath me, her hands in my hair, guiding me where she wanted to be kissed. My hands trailed down her ribs until I touched the waistband of her pants. I undid the button and fly and pulled them down, taking her panties and socks off in the same movement. Here she was, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, lying completely bared in front of me, nothing but want and trust in her eyes.

"Damn, Tasha," I said breathlessly, "why do you have to be so fucking gorgeous?"

She laughed at me. "Shut up, you idiot!" And the next moment she was pulling me down for another scorching kiss. I lay down beside her, my hand gliding from her breasts over her stomach down to the small strip of hair above her mound. When I reached it, a shudder ran through her and I moved lower, brushing and gently parting her folds. I stroked her already wet pussy with my fingers, circling her clit and eliciting the most exquisite of moans from her. I dipped a finger inside and her hips rocked up towards my hand.

"More", she breathed and I added another finger, gently moving in and out, stroking her clit with my thumb. She moaned again and tightened around my fingers, meeting every move of mine with one of her own. The way she moved made my dick throb in my pants in anticipation. And when she shuddered and pulsed around my fingers, my name on her lips, I didn't care where we were or if anyone would hear us - this was the only place I wanted to be.

Breathing heavily, a smile on her face, Tasha said to me, "Your hands are weapons of mass seduction, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Tasha, there's only one woman I want to seduce and she's right here with me." I leaned down and kissed her, with all the love and desire I felt for her at that moment. Her fingers tangled in my short hair, pulling me close and she bit at my lower lip playfully, sending tendrils of pleasure-pain through me and making my cock ache in its confinement.

As if she could sense my discomfort, her hands deftly undid my pants and pushed them down, along with my shorts. My erection sprang free and she wrapped her hand around it, gently pumping and sliding her fingertip through the precum gathering at the tip. I groaned in pleasure; this was better than anything I had imagined in those nights I'd had my hand around my own flesh in much the same way, stroking myself to completion. But her hands felt so much better, it was already almost too much. Trying for distracting thoughts, I came up blank and just yanked her hand away.

"Stop, please Tasha, I…," I had to swallow hard and take a deep breath, I'd not been this close to coming prematurely since I was a teenager! She looked at me with a smug smile, like the cat that ate the canary, and straddled me. Grinding her wet pussy along my hard shaft, moaning at the sensation, she positioned the blunt head of my cock at her entrance and slowly sank down, not stopping until I had bottomed out inside her slick, silky cunt.

"God, Clint, you are bigger than I had imagined. Don't move! I need a second."

We fit together perfectly; she was so tight around me, it felt amazing. And the play of muscles on her face as I filled her, giving away her pleasure, only heightened my own arousal.

"You imagined my dick?" I panted, a little incredulous, savoring the sensation of being sheathed inside her.

She chuckled breathlessly, "Of course I did, have you ever looked at those uniform pants? They're not exactly hiding a lot."

She'd been imagining this, just like I had… Huh, what about that!? I inwardly thanked SHIELD for designing those uniforms and pushed up on my elbows. I rested my head against her collarbone, placing a kiss on her breast. Putting a hand on my shoulder she started rolling her hips, moving along my whole length, almost letting me slip out of her wonderful pussy before pushing down again, enveloping all of me again. She was tightening her pelvic muscles on every upstroke, increasing the pleasure immeasurably, her clit grazing along the line of hair leading from my navel to my dick. Angling my legs, I began thrusting up into her. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her breasts pressed into my chest. It felt so intimate, being enveloped in her arms, and the new angle made her gasp.

She moaned, "Oh god, yes, that's it!"

And with that I knew she was close. I let go of all restraint, increasing my rhythm. With a low moan she clenched around me, her face contorted in pleasure and her body shaking. Seeing her like this pushed me over the edge and I came, yelling "Tasha", her clenching pussy milking every last drop from me while my vision went white. I fell back onto the bed, cradling her to my chest, and kissed her hair, her brow, her cheeks; then her hands were cupping my face and her lips were on mine. We kissed, slow and tender now, all urgency gone.

Tasha slowly rearranged herself to lay beside me, her head on my chest, hand idly playing along my ribs. I sighed contentedly and hugged her close to me, savoring this moment.

* * *

I hadn't meant to fall asleep, and I guess neither had Natasha. But one moment we were laying together in a sated heap and the next someone was poking me in the ribs through our blanket cocoon. I startled awake to find myself face to face with Coulson. He was looking at me with an amused expression, yet seemingly unperturbed by the situation, handing me a cup of coffee.

"I, we, uhm," I stammered, taking the proffered beverage, feeling a blush creep its way from my chest to my hair. Nat stirred beside me, blinking her eyes at Coulson.

"Breakfast in bed? How nice," she smiled at him, seemingly unfazed.

"Well, I thought it was the least I could do. You just won me 50 Bucks."

"What?!" I admit I'm not at my sharpest immediately after waking, but Coulson had totally lost me.

"The betting pool on when you two would finally hook up," he said, deadpan.

"You didn't come back to the room last night, which by the way, is just on the other side of that wall. Which is very thin. Very. Thin." He pointed at the back wall and I had to stifle the sudden urge to pull the blanket over my head.

Shit. Hawkeye, World's Greatest Marksman. Trained spy, hard-wired tracking device, reputation for noticing everything. Bested by hormones and a beautiful woman.

Speaking of said woman, here she was, quietly sipping her coffee, not batting an eyelash; mask firmly in place. But then, she'd doubtlessly known all along where we were.

"Jesus," I muttered.

Coulson smiled the pedantic smile of the perfect civil servant he is.

"I'm pretty sure that's not the name I heard last night."


End file.
